In respect to often pleasant party times centering around an outdoor dinnertime, when a barbecuing time is involved, there are unpleasant times, when, for example, food juices and liquid fats drip into the fire below to cause flare-ups which often burn the food. Or, unwanted odors arise from the heating of previous barbecuing time residues, or from starter fluids. Many times, the grill of a barbecue cooker has not been thoroughly cleaned, if cleaned at all, from a previous barbecuing time, and an unhealthy appearance and/or condition continues on into the follow on barbecuing time. Then, after the party is over, the grill and the interior of the barbecue cooker often need extensive cleaning. Such cleaning generally waits until the next day or later, increasing the effort required to remove the food and grease residues.
Although these drawbacks or inconveniences associated with barbecuing time continue to haunt persons today in respect to their barbecuing time, and there is a need for a product to be marketed more aggressively today to eliminate essentially all these drawbacks or inconveniences, there have been prior products offered by others, which, if made available could be utilized by persons during their barbecuing time. In reference to U.S. patents:
In 1868, William Andrew in his U.S. Pat. No. 75,107 disclosed his gridiron, which was a combined gridiron and frying pan used for broiling or frying food. Spaced ribs or bars supported the food, and gutters located between the ribs directed the gravy, i.e. food juices and liquid fats, into a collecting basin, keeping them clear of the fire;
In 1876, George Cornwall in his U.S. Pat. No. 181,823 disclosed his gridiron which served like William Andrew's gridiron, and had an improved gravy collecting basin positioned away from the main heat of the cooking fire;
In 1963, Arnold G. Keppler in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,505 illustrated and described his disposable broiling tray formed of very light gauge sheet material, such as lightweight aluminum. Food to be broiled was placed on this tray, which was corrugated, with the food resting atop the corrugations. During the broiling time in an oven, the grease rendered from the foods being broiled collected in the lower portions of the corrugations. Following the broiling time and food serving time, the lightweight broiling tray was disposed of, while still containing the grease. The ends of the corrugations were formed to provide portions which kept the grease in the corrugations;
In 1966, David D. Jordon in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,806, disclosed his expandable pan made of an aluminum sheet material preformed and compacted, and sold compacted for convenient storage in a kitchen. When expanded for use, Mr. Jordon's pan served in a like manner to Mr. Keppler's disposable broiling tray;
In 1970, Carl Karapetian in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,814 illustrated and disclosed his disposable barbeque grill in circular and rectangular embodiments made from thin metallic material. The food during the barbecuing period, was supported on an integral grid work. Adjacent integral indentations directed the food juices and liquid fats to the integral side walls, then to a surrounding integral rim for collection, until poured into a collecting can, via an integral pour spout. Mr. Karapetian in his patent, noted that earlier, Mr. Hoke in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,757 disclosed a cover to fit on a permanent grill, protecting portions thereof, but not all portions of the permanent grill, from being contacted by dripping food juices and liquid fats;
In 1983, Harold Osrow in his U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,410 illustrated and described his disposable foil broiling sheet. He provided a roll of these preformed, interconnected disposable foil broiling sheets for storage in a kitchen. When needed one sheet was removed and arranged in a planar configuration over a primary grill of an oven. The food, while being broiled, was supported above the primary grill while resting on the top surface areas of the top layer of the disposable foil broiling sheet. The food juices and liquid fats were directed to recessed surface areas and then down through drains into an internal layer made of an originally dry bibulous material for containment of these dripping liquids, as the surrounding bottom layer was made of an impermeable foil to complete the capture of the food juices and liquid fats.
These inventors and others have provided reusable and disposable products to be used by persons broiling foods in ovens, over permanent grills, and in barbecuing cookers, to collect all the food juices and liquid fats keeping them from reaching the heating source and/or surrounding structure, and collecting them for convenient removal and disposal. Yet, there remains a need for another try at providing a product which will be used more extensively by persons preparing foods during broiling in oven times, barbecuing times, and/or camping times, which is lightweight, low cost, nestable, keepable, or disposable, depending on the selected embodiment, and which may have other features making its use more desirable.